Women from Timbi-Tounni

When I served as an Education Peace Corps Volunteer in Guinea (West Africa), I met strong women, women with the ability of inspiring happiness despite their hard lives. They are in charge of the entire household, which includes exhausting tasks such as pounding for making meals, doing laundry at the river, carrying water from the closest water-pump or well, and sowing Fonio (a local cereal). In an emotional approach they have to deal with the mistreatment of polygamy, give birth to an average of more than 5 children in scarce sanitary conditions, having poor nutrition, and suffer FGM (Female Genital Mutilation).
The women who can get economical independence from their husbands feel better with themselves and are an example for the girls, the mothers of tomorrow.
In this photograph are two of my projects at site. One consisted on helping with the bookkeeping for a soap making group. The women were making and selling the soap they made.
The other project consisted of teaching girls how to crochet bags with yarn made out of recycled plastic bags. These girls were not in school, they were attending a center where they can learn the official language of the country ( French), and eventually how to read and write. The girls learned fast how to crochet, and were selling their handmade bags.